A Poet Made and not Born
by hellsfireydeath
Summary: Hiccup's life is perfect. A mysterious travelling poet suddenly disrupts the usual routines, and things begin to get interesting.  Not just poems, it is an actual story. Poems are part of the plot. Hiccup x Astrid. Rated T to be safe. COMPLETE
1. Humble Beginnings

**CHAPTER 1**

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_As the beast lay before me,_

_I was blinded by the shining sun,_

_Father whispers in the back of my mind,_

_"Finish what you have begun."_

_The knife is raised,_

_It all ends here,_

_My years of sorrow and torment._

_In a sudden burst of violence,_

_I will remove it from the mortal coil._

_Liberation without consent._

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The straps needed tightening. Otherwise it would slip and slide over Toothless's back, and that would be counterproductive to not falling off. Hiccup really hated falling off.

Hiccup the Dragon Tamer, the pride of the village called Berk, was toiling over a series of complicated diagrams on his workbench. The light was dim, as night had fallen outside, unnoticed by Hiccup completely. A single torch, mounted on the wall above him, was all the light he needed.

It had been four months since he had discovered the truth about the dragons and defeated the Queen. Four long, peaceful months of celebrations and happiness. Hiccups life was complete.

He had everything he ever dreamed of, and then some. He was a hero among his people, they idolised and respected him, no longer so judging of his physical stature. They now saw the true Hiccup, they saw what was behind the body, what lurked behind those ever-green eyes of his.

But the everlasting love of his village wasn't the last of the rewards he earned through sacrifice. Above all else, there were only two things that Hiccup held more dearly than life itself.

The girl and the dragon.

Astrid Hofferson, Hiccup's girlfriend of four months, had completely stolen his heart since he was little. But it was only after those incredible events, that he had managed to steal hers, too.

He helped her shed the social armour girls must wear in order to survive in Berk, and she loved him for it, she wanted to be around him and with him because she was free to be herself with him. Any fears she has, worries, or just anger, he was there to smile and make it all go away. (Not to mention she kept his feet firmly on the ground whenever his ego starts to get the better of him.)

Competing with Astrid was his best friend, none other than Toothless the Night Fury. The pair had only gotten closer in the months after Berks' change of heart, and it didn't look like they were going to drift apart any time soon. Toothless and Hiccup had an unspoken, almost telepathic bond between them, they shared feelings and emotions, no secrets between them. They flew every morning and night, and spent the days relaxing in their canyon with Astrid. Truly, it was the good life.

Until one day, a man had turned up in a makeshift boat, stumbling onto the jetty of Berk. He said he was a grand poet, and had entertained the kings and queens of too many lands to count.

Hiccup had met him on the jetty and explained who they were. The man was very excited at the prospect of dragons, and seeing a few fly overhead, he almost fainted. Hiccup had told the man his story. Then he really did faint.

Distracted from his reverie, Hiccup blinked and shook his head. He had to keep working so the saddle would be fixed by tomorrow, or Toothless would be annoyed. Plus Hiccup really liked flying.

"Any pearls of wisdom amount from that little coma you just had? I could use some inspiration." Said a light, cheerful voice.

"Selwyn? What are you doing up so late?" Hiccup replied, turning towards to man.

"I couldn't sleep. There is simply too much of this village I need to put to paper!"

"You won't be able to put anything to paper if you collapse from exhaustion."

"If you can do all that stuff you're doing with the cables and straps and stuff, then I can write on a piece of paper."

"I don't think you have slept at all in the past two days."

"Nonsense! I just prefer to sleep out in the wild where nature can fill my lungs with the sweet scent of lyrical inspiration."

"You talk too much." sighed Hiccup.

"You would be surprised how often I get that."

"I doubt that."

"Good point."

Some rustling footsteps approached from the outside of the workshop, and Selwyn jumped at the sound.

"Oh dear...If that is your beloved coming to drag you back to bed, and I think it's a fairly reasonable assumption to say it is, then I am not going to be blamed as the one keeping you up. I'm off!"

Selwyn darted out the back door just as Astrid sleepily walked in the main entrance.

"Were you talking to someone?" she yawned. Hiccup doubted that she would care enough to go after Selwyn judging from how sleepy she looked, but decided not to take any chances.

"Nope. Just voicing ideas out loud. Helps me think." He said.

"Thinking time finished about 2 hours ago, Hiccup." She smiled wearily. "Let's go to bed."

Hiccup looked at the diagrams on his table, then back to Astrid, then back to the diagrams.

"Eh, they can wait till morning." He said before taking her hand and leaving the workshop together.


	2. Advice

**Hello there! This is the Authors notes! I forgot to put one in the last chapter like the genius I am. I really hope you enjoyed the first chapter! The poem at the start of chapter 1 was inspired by a certain sad poem that I can't quite recall. Ah well, I will just let you know when I do remember. Several hundred years from now.**

**Anyway, I hope you like the second chapter, and if you want more then drop me a review! That's how I will know if you like it, after all.**

**This chapters poem was all me, baby. I really hope it isn't similar to any famous poems. That would be awkward. Unless I say I paraphrased it and by changing whatever words are different I can show *insert new agey sounding terms for over complicating poems***

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own HTTYD, as much as I wish I did.**

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_She was his life, his light_

_And he would do anything at all_

_To make sure that she shone bright_

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Waking up next to Astrid Hofferson was always an incredible experience for Hiccup. If he woke up before her, he got to see her as she sleeps, calm and relaxed, happiness apparent on her face. If he woke up after her, he would see her looking at him in almost the exact same way.

They hadn't 'slept' slept together, they just liked falling sleep next to each other, not a single thought for something more crossing their minds. Hiccup was happy enough with his life that he didn't feel the pressure or outstanding need to get right to 'it', and Astrid felt the same.

But how was Astrid's father to know that?

The front door of Astrid's house was flung open, and Hiccup flew out, landing in the dirt nearby. He quickly picked himself up and looked back to the house in fear.

Astrid's father, an ox of a man, came thundering out. As soon as he had seen Hiccup lying in Astrid's bed, he had thrown him straight out the house.

Toothless, who had been sleeping nearby, raised his head in curiosity. The very large, very angry father was no doubt about to toss Hiccup several kilometres out to sea, but one look from the dragon and he decided verbal abuse it is.

"HOW DARE YOU SLEEP IN MY DAUGHTERS BED! YOU'RE BOTH SO YOUNG! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?"

"We didn't-" Hiccup began, before being cut off by an enraged roar.

"DON'T LIE TO ME! I KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN UP TO!"

A small crowd had gathered, watching with amusement as the boy who was able to tame a deadly dragon failed to tame an angry father.

"Maybe I should go for a walk." Hiccup replied, trying to maintain a calm composure.

"I THINK...I think that would be best. Odin, I need a drink." Said Astrid's father, unable to get any satisfaction out of yelling at Hiccup.

Hiccup spun on the spot and quickly walked away into the forest, toward the canyon where he had met Toothless.

The dragon in question noted Hiccups direction in case he needed to find him. He would have gone with him now, but on the Toothless clock, it was nap time for just a little bit longer.

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Hiccup slid down the rocks that led into the canyon. It was the usual route. For the thousandth time he noticed the shield jammed between two rocks, told himself to get it out once and for all, then ducked under and continued. He walked to his favourite rock, already planning an explanation for Astrid's father.

"Sorry sir, it won't happen again." Hmm. No, that won't do. It wasn't like hammering a nail in wrong in Gobbers' forge (as apt as that analogy is), the guy thought Hiccup had had sex with Astrid. It needs to be serious.

"I am deeply sorry for any offence I have caused, regardless of whether I actually caused it." Maybe a bit too serious.

"I can assure you we did nothing wrong." Oh yeah, like that is going to work.

Footsteps approached from behind him. Hiccup spun around, ready to dodge an attack.

"Try saying 'Please don't kill me'." Laughed a very amused Selwyn. Hiccup relaxed with a sigh, sitting back down on his rock.

"I would think you would say something a little wordier." Hiccup said, "You know, being a poet and everything."

Selwyn strode over and sat on the dirt next to Hiccups rock, a grin on his face as he replied.

"Well after begging for my life I would launch into a ballad of such epic proportions it would make women weep and the strongest men crumble-"

"Yeah, of course you would." Hiccup said sarcastically. "Do you have any _real_ advice?"

Selwyn thought for a moment.

"Well, in the village I was born in, I once found myself in a very similar situation. My love and I had been discovered in a very hard to explain position. Her father was an angry, vengeful man, and I feared for my life."

Hiccups interest was piqued; Selwyn _never_ talked about his past.

"So what did you do?" inquired Hiccup curiously.

"I can't quite remember...I probably charmed the man with my poetry so that his anger melted away." Selwyn finished with a pose.

Hiccup rolled his eyes.

"Gee, thanks for sharing. I'm sure that will help me. If you hadn't noticed, Astrid's father is rather angry and vengeful as well. I think Toothless was the only reason he didn't gut me on the spot."

Selwyn laughed heartily at this, which disturbed Hiccup slightly.

"Ah, he wouldn't kill you; you're the chief's son!" Selwyn continued after he calmed down.

"Somehow I don't think that would stop him." Hiccup replied glumly.

"Well the way I see it, you-" Began Selwyn, before a loud cracking sound echoed from the other side of the canyon. A swearword soon followed, from a very familiar voice.

"Sounds like your lady of light has given her father the slip." Selwyn smirked. "I'll leave you alone to greet her." With a knowing smile, Selwyn quickly darted back up the way Hiccup had come from, under the shield and into the forest.

Once Selwyn was gone, Hiccup stood up and ran over to the opposite end of the canyon, where Astrid was brushing herself off and muttering angrily.

"Hi?" He asked tentatively, bracing himself. Astrid noticed his presence, and looked up with a glare.

"You! I had to walk in a gigantic circle from the opposite direction so my father wouldn't think I was going to see you! Do you have any idea how many thorns there are in the forest? And how many of them seem to gather around this canyon?" She yelled angrily.

She _did_ look a bit of a mess. Her hair was tangled with leaves and sticks, and the few parts of her clothing that wasn't metal plated had little tears in them.

Hiccup gulped.

"Please don't kill me?"


	3. Distractions

**Hello once again, dear readers!**

**Thank you all so much for the couple of reviews I have gotten, if you have written on Fanfiction then you know just how it feels to receive a nice review! That is to say, freaking awesome!**

**I apologise if my chapters are a bit short, they are several pages long in Word, and Fanfiction has a very wide screen, so I will think I have written heaps but it turns out to be barely anything.**

**You might have noticed I have been posting a chapter per day. I hope I can keep it up, but I started on a Friday afternoon and it is now Sunday, so it's just been weekend luck. Hopefully I can continue to do it even on school days.**

**No poem this time, I didn't have the inspiration. I tried to force one together but it was terrible.**

**What's that you say? I'm blathering on about boring stuff and you just want to be alone with the story? My bad, I'll leave you two to get better acquainted.**

**DISCLAIMER: Was in the last chapter. Still applies, derrr.**

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It took a while, a long, long while, but Hiccup managed to get Astrid to stop shouting. Hiccup wasn't even sure if he was the reason she stopped, her voice might just be sore. They sat facing each other and cross-legged together on a patch of grass next to the little lake. Astrid sighed.

"What are we going to do, Hiccup?" she asked simply.

"Wait until your father calms down before talking to him and trying to apologise?" Hiccup suggested.

"Good idea, everyone knows Vikings don't hold grudges." Astrid replied dryly. Hiccup smiled at her.

"Was that sarcasm?" he asked. She smiled back.

"I guess it rubs off on you." She grinned before leaning in for a kiss, which he returned with enthusiasm.

They stayed like that for a while, kissing softly until the sun slid down towards the horizon, casting an orange flare over the canyon as it set. The lake next to them sparkled gently, shining unusual patterns across the two love struck teenagers. Hiccup forgot completely about the problems awaiting him back in Berk, an angry father and a troublesome poet, not to mention a dragon that hadn't been flying nearly enough in the past couple of days. They drifted to the back of his mind and Astrid was the only thing in his eyes, even if it was just for this long moment.

He didn't want it to end, but his traitorous stomach had other ideas. It rumbled loudly, killing the moment. Astrid laughed.

"I think it's time we headed back, what do you think?" she asked. Hiccup scowled at his stomach, but agreed.

"I would have preferred to stay longer, but I suppose I need food to live as well as you." It was just an offhand comment, but Astrid blushed and took his hand as they left the canyon.

As they walked through the forest, dodging fallen trees and spikey shrubs (Hiccup noting with some amusement that there were indeed more thorn bushes than he had realised), Astrid began to sing softly. It was just a silly song that mothers sung to babies to get them to sleep, but the way she sung it made Hiccup's heart stand still. He held his breath and moved as quietly as he could so he wouldn't disturb her. Just listening to the subtle changes in tone as the lyrics flowed from her mouth was mesmerising.

He wasn't sure if she started again or if the song was a long one, but it felt like eternity while she sung. When she stopped, she finally noticed his staring, mouth open and eyes wide, causing her to blush profusely.

"You didn't tell me you could sing!" Hiccup said hoarsely.

"It's just a little song my mother used to sing me when I was little, before she-" She stopped talking suddenly, and they walked on in silence. Hiccup moved closer to her and put his arm around her. She seemed grateful, resting her head on his shoulder.

They finally arrived back at Berk, stopping on the edge of the town. Astrid turned to hiccup.

"My father might be on the loose in the village, we better go in separately." She said.

"Good idea. I do not feel like dealing with that particular problem just yet." He replied nervously.

She gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

"It'll be fine. You'll see." She hugged him and then ran off into the village.

Hiccup sighed, counted to ten, then walked slowly after her.

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Dinner was unpleasant. He wasn't allowed to sit at the same table as Astrid, or at any table adjacent to Astrid, or any table adjacent to a table adjacent to Astrid. Hiccup ended up sitting in between his father and Gobber, staring hopelessly across the room at her. Stoick noticed this eventually, and nudged his son.

"Uh, anything you want to talk about, son?" he asked awkwardly.

"You mean you didn't hear?" Hiccup was surprised, he would have thought the whole village knew after the display they gave.

"About you sleeping with Astrid?" he said bluntly.

"Dad, I didn't-" Hiccup began.

Stoick raised his hands.

"I'm not going to punish you son. Gobber and I were thinking of throwing a celebration."

"But I-"

"It'll be great! The whole village can come and drink all week! There will be feasts every day for every meal, and-"

"Dad, you're doing it again." Hiccup said, exasperated.

"Oh. Right sorry. What were you trying to say?"

"I was trying to say, we didn't actually sleep together. That is, I mean, we slept together but we didn't, uh... you know?" Hiccup said, cheeks going red as he tried to explain.

A look of realisation dawned on Stoick's face.

"Ooohhhh... Well now I understand why her father's so bloody pissed."

"What do you mean?" asked Hiccup, confused.

"Well you keep denying it, so he thinks you're ashamed to have slept with his daughter."

"But I didn't-"

"But he _thinks_ you did, and he's not going to believe you. Has Astrid tried to talk to him?"

"I'm not sure. I don't think that would work. He is _majorly_ infuriated."

"You're telling me, I could've used him to melt metal today." Gobber muttered off to the side.

Stoick snapped his fingers.

"I've got it! All you have to do is _really_ sleep with her and then-"

"Dad, I'm going to stop you there. I know you are eager for an heir, but Astrid and I will get to that stage when we want to." Hiccup explained curtly. "Now if you don't mind, I'll be bidding you goodnight."

"You know too many words. Goodnight son." His father said with amusement. Gobber grunted a goodnight around the lamb stuffed in his mouth.

Hiccup left the main hall and wandered slowly back to his house. It had been a great day up until dinner. Hiccup decided to instead focus on the fact that he spent literally half the day kissing Astrid. The thought brought an unstoppable grin to his face.

"No need to guess what you're thinking about to get a grin that big." Selwyn chuckled as he walked out of a different path.

"I don't feel like chatting right now, I'm pretty tired." Hiccup replied. "Where are you going?"

"Get some dinner, of course! A poets mind is only as full as his stomach, as my mother used to say."

Hiccup couldn't help laughing a bit.

"She did not! You made that up on the spot!" He accused mockingly.

"No really, she did!" Selwyn said earnestly.

"Of course she did. Well, you better hurry to dinner, I doubt there will be anything left if you wait any longer." Hiccup said, yawning.

"Good idea. I'll see you tomorrow." Selwyn walked past Hiccup in the direction the main hall.

"Yeah. Goodnight."


	4. Flight

**Wow, chapter 4 already? I suppose having really short chapters' helps.**

**Day four, chapter four. Still going strong at a chapter a day, let's hope it stays that way. **

**Or should I skip a day so people start wanting instead of blasting through it? I'm enjoying writing it a **_**lot**_**, and I can't see myself stopping anytime soon.**

**But how are **_**you**_** feeling about the story so far? Drop a review and let it rip!**

**Now, enough of all my ramblings. On with the show!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own How to Train Your Dragon, however, I will buy the ultra extreme mega dvd pack thing when it gets released in 4 and a bit weeks.**

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The wind rushed through Hiccups hair as he and Toothless climbed ever higher into the endless sky.

Taking Toothless for a fly was his first priority that morning. He had deprived the poor beast long enough, and wasn't spending nearly enough time with him.

At the slight movement of his foot, they levelled out gently, riding the wind currents above the clouds. Flying never got old. It was still as exhilarating as the first time. Hiccup couldn't believe he had put this off like it was a chore. How could something this amazing be a chore?

Hiccup let out an ecstatic shout as they glided so far above the world there were only golden shining clouds in all directions. Hiccup saw a very fond resemblance to Astrid's blonde hair in the clouds, and his mind was brought once again back to earth. Toothless sensed that Hiccup was being consumed in worries again, and shocked him out of it by diving suddenly.

They whistled extremely quickly past the clouds and the ground was rushing up to meet them in moments with Toothless pulling up at the last moment.

"Wooooaaaah! Toothless, why did you do that?" Hiccup panted, short of breath, as they glided into their canyon.

"Were you trying to distract me from what's going on?"

Toothless whined innocently.

"I appreciate it bud, but I can't fly forever. I need to face my problems head on."

Toothless snorted as he landed on some grass. Hiccup shrugged.

"Yeah I know that's not really a Hiccup thing to do, but this is a kind of unique situation."

Hiccup dismounted and set to work removing the saddle from Toothless. A familiar voice greeted him from behind.

"Not really, I'm sure I've been in this situation before, like I told you the other day." Said Selwyn from a nearby rock.

"Oh. Hi Selwyn, I didn't see you there." Hiccup turned around, removing his hands from the saddle.

"So you talk to your dragon? Does it talk back?" Selwyn asked with a little chuckle.

"In a way. We understand each other just fine, don't we bud?" Hiccup scratched Toothless's back for a moment.

"Ah of course you do. Otherwise you wouldn't have been able to take down that Queen dragon I've heard so much about."

"Yeah I suppose. Anyway, why are you always in this place? There are lots of inspirational places on this island.

"Because this is the place where you befriended Toothless! A small, young boy entered this canyon as the loneliest soul in the world, and he emerged with the powerful Night Fury as his best friend! How much more inspirational can you get?"

Toothless whined and nudged Hiccup's arm.

"Hang on bud, I'll get the saddle off in a moment." He pet the dragon lightly on the head, which an offended Nightfury took as an insult, huffing and turning away.

"Anyway," said Hiccup, "This morning my dad told me you were up to no good in the village. Something about telling scary stories to children?"

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about." Selwyn replied, his face straight.

Hiccup laughed.

"Nothing to be scared about, my dad just thinks you're a nuisance now, if he didn't already. It was kinda funny, actually." Putting on his best Stoick impression, Hiccup grumbled "That damn 'guest' of ours has been scaring the life out of the younger children with his tales. I'm starting to think he's more trouble than he's worth."

Selwyn and Hiccup laughed and Toothless whined. Hiccup turned to his dragon.

"Oh, don't give me that. You know that's what he sounds like."

Toothless cocked his head to the side.

"Fine, be that way." Hiccup said light-heartedly and turned back to Selwyn.

"Anyway, you said earlier that you had been in the same situation as me back in your village. Have you remembered what you did to fix it?"

"Fixing an angry father is rather tough when he has an extensive weapon collection. I had to meet secretly with my love for fear of getting killed. We were supposed to spend the day thinking up clever ways to save my life, but ended up spending most of it doing things of a much funner nature."

Hiccup snorted.

"Yeah that's pretty much how my planning session with Astrid went too." He grinned. "No regrets though."

Selwyn returned the grin.

"Most certainly not."

Toothless whined again, louder this time and nudged Hiccup hard enough to make him fall over. Selwyn burst out laughing.

"Oh you think this is funny?" Hiccup said, even though he was laughing too. "All right Toothless, I'll take the saddle off."

Hiccup got to work un-strapping the various mechanisms that allowed the dragon to fly, leaving the replacement tail fin there as usual. When he finished, he packed everything into the large sack he had left in the canyon and sorted through it to make sure he hadn't broken anything. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Selwyn staring at the sky.

"Must be about lunch time, I think. I'm going to head back to the village." Selwyn announced, standing up from the rock he had been sitting on.

"Alright then, I'm going to stay for a bit longer and enjoy this nice weather while I can." Hiccup replied over his shoulder.

"See you later."

"Bye."

"Be warned, you may return to the village to find they are under one of my poems' spells, and they fawn over me while begging me to read more." Selwyn called as he walked away.

"Yeah, if you can find the time after scaring small children." Hiccup muttered. Toothless gave him an odd look.

"What? You know it's true!"

* * *

It was mid afternoon when Hiccup and Toothless arrived back at Berk. All the dragons had eaten lunch, and most were feeling too full to go flying, so the Viking's were on the ground for the moment. Hiccup let Toothless go to the dragon feeding area while he entered the main hall.

Noticing that Astrid wasn't here and by extension her father, Hiccup sighed with relief and sat next to his friends, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruffnut and Tuffnut. Fishlegs was enthusiastically telling the others about a scary story that involved a ghost ship. Hiccup waited for him to finish before speaking.

"Where did you get that one from?" he asked, as if he didn't already know.

Fishlegs replied with gusto.

"The new arrival, I saw him earlier telling a whole bunch of stories to all the little kids and they were really good so I wrote them down so I could tell everyone because they were so good it was like he had +5 storytelling and-and-"

"Woah, easy there." Laughed Snotlout.

"Your heads gonna explode if you keep that up!" Ruffnut said with amusement.

Hiccup had already moved on.

"Do any of you know where Astrid is?" he asked as he took a bite out of his chicken.

"Duh, nowhere near you, that's for sure." Tuffnut smirked.

"Her father has her under lock and key from what I've heard. Apparently, he found out you two met in the woods yesterday and he was _mighty_ pissed!" explained Snotlout.

"Oh damn." Hiccup felt bad about not being there for Astrid, but he knew approaching her house right now was suicide.

The rest of the group continued chatting, but Hiccup was no longer listening. He _had_ to fix the father problem as quickly as possible. He really wanted to see Astrid, _really_ wanted to see her, to ask her how her day had been, to find out what she was up to and what she was planning. He just wanted to be with her.

It was at that moment that Hiccup hatched the Master Plan.


	5. The Master Planning

**CHAPTER 5**

**Wow, chapter 5 already? I guess at a chapter a day this thing really gets rolling!**

"**Still no poems? Get your head in the game, Author!"**

**Hey, lay off man. I can't write one if I don't feel the inspiration.**

"**Pfffff, what a cop out!"**

**THIS IS WHY WE CAN'T HAVE NICE THINGS!**

"**MAYBE IF YOU SPENT A LITTLE MORE TIME WITH ME, WE WOULDN'T BE HAVING THIS ARGU-"**

**Uh, sorry. Got a little off track. Where were we? Ah yes. INTRODUCING THE STORY THING THAT YOU ARE CURRENTLY READING.**

**I'm slowing down a bit with writing. I'm still enjoying writing it enormously, but I don't want to feel like I need to push one out every day. It's getting a bit hard to finish in time, and I don't want to sacrifice the quality just for quick updates. I may still be able to do one a day, but who knows how long this will last.**

**This is a short chapter among short chapters, I'm sorry to say. But I ended it exactly how I wanted it to be so the next chapter is wide open.**

**Enjoy.**

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The Master Plan was actually fairly simple, in theory. Hiccup had to end Astrid's father's quarrel with him quickly, before things got any more out of hand. If everything went as planned, Hiccup would be eating dinner next to Astrid again by the end of the week. If it didn't go to plan, Hiccup would probably be banished or executed for causing the greatest disaster to ever befall the village. A plan with such serious consequences would require subtlety, finesse, and grace.

"TOOTHLESS GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!" Hiccup yelled.

They were in the canyon, and Hiccup was surrounded by large maps of the village and pictures of dragons with statistics written next to them. Toothless had wanted to see what Hiccup was doing, and accidentally stepped on one of the maps, which stuck to his foot, and initiated the chase.

Toothless didn't realise he had a map stuck to his foot, and thought Hiccup just wanted to play. Having Hiccup chase him around the familiar canyon was one of Toothless's favourite pastimes, having had a lot of practice whenever Hiccup tried to add some new equipment to the saddle or tailfin.

Hiccup desperately tried to catch the beast, leaping over logs and rocks, but the dragon was much too fast, slowing down to give Hiccup a glimmer of hope, then darting away when he was just in reach.

Eventually, Hiccup was too tired to continue, and collapsed back near his maps. Toothless wandered over once he realised the game was over, and sat down next to Hiccup's exhausted body.

After a few minutes, Hiccup regained enough energy to sit up.

"Hey bud..." he said, still panting. "You have my map stuck to your foot." Hiccup pointed at Toothless's foot, and the dragon finally realised why Hiccup had been chasing him. With a lopsided toothless grin, he raised his paw and allowed Hiccup to removed the destroyed map. Hiccup looked at it with a sigh.

"Thanks, bud...It only took a few weeks to make that."

Toothless replied with a whine and started to lick Hiccup's face, inciting an unstoppable grin.

"Alright, alright, I forgive you!" Hiccup laughed, getting knocked over by the force of the licks. Pushing him away after a few moments, Hiccup turned to his maps. They were covered with on-the-spot markings that indicated positions of interest for the Master Plan.

Hiccup's idea was simple, but very hard to implement. Every dragon rider in the village would be needed. It would have to be at night, and Astrid's father would need to look at the sky. Hiccup had to arrange the riders in a certain pattern, and then have them all breathe fire at the same time.

It would only last a few moments; due to the fact most dragons can't unleash a sustained burst of fire for very long. That's what the dragon pictures and statistics were for. Hiccup was trying to find which breeds would be more helpful. Gronkles, for instance, fired projectile blasts they fuel by chewing rocks. Zippleback's combine gas and sparks to cause devastating explosions, so they were out. Since Toothless was the only Nightfury in the village, that left only Deadly Nadder's and Monstrous Nightmares.

Hiccup had done the math. There were definitely enough of both breeds to pull it off; the problem was getting people in position. He had measured the average distance that the two types can breathe fire and take into account safety distance so nobody would get hurt.

A great deal of effort had gone into his plan, and Hiccup was determined to make it work.

* * *

The sun was setting, and Hiccup was back at his house. Toothless was lying on his bed upstairs, napping. Hiccup was sitting at his desk, surrounded by more maps. He was getting tired and was considering going to bed early since plans made when tired rarely end well.

He had covered pretty much everything needed to ensure the safety of the riders and the success of the plan (in that order of course; Hiccup was not about to return to his destructive accident days), and Hiccup was feeling pretty confident about it.

His father was out drinking like the vast majority of people, so Hiccup was left to his own devices. Normally, this meant explosions from mixing chemicals, but Hiccup instead received a visitor. None other than Selwyn stood in his doorway.

"Can I come in?" He asked politely.

"Uh sure..." Hiccup replied awkwardly, standing aside to let him pass and closing the door behind him.

"Nice house. Reminds me of the house I grew up in." Selwyn commented fondly as he inspected a spear mounted on the wall.

"Look, Selwyn, I don't mind you visiting, but I was about to head off to bed, so can we keep this short?" Hiccup said irritably.

"My, my, aren't we in a bad mood. Understandable after all the planning you have been doing. By the way, it looks like a winner. It's sure to get the girl, calm the father, and return your life to normal." Spoke Selwyn cheerfully.

"How do you know what I'm doing?" Hiccup asked suspiciously, as Selwyn hadn't been anywhere near the plans on his desk.

"I had a peek at what you were working on while you were chasing your dragon around like a dog chases a messenger." Selwyn smirked as he spoke.

"So you just hide in the canyon and watch me or something? Why not just ask me what I'm doing? I probably would have told you.

Selwyn shrugged.

"I didn't want to break your concentration." He explained simply.

Hiccup was getting angry.

"Can you just tell me why you're here so I can go to bed?"

"Certainly. I just remembered how I calmed my loves father."

"About time. Care to share?" Hiccup asked, still annoyed.

"I burnt her name into a field. The village hated me for it and I was almost banished, but her father saw that I was willing to take such a risk to prove I loved her and his attitude changed." Selwyn informed. "At least, I think that's how it happened. I think there was more poetry that softened his heart so I could-"

"I'll stop you there. I don't feel like listening to your boasting all night. Thank you for telling me, anyway. I'm glad you finally remembered. But if you wouldn't mind, I really need some sleep. As you are probably aware, I have a big day tomorrow." Hiccup said, thankfully but tiredly.

Selwyn, the ever considerate guest, escorted himself to the door.

"But of course. I understand completely, and I can't wait to see what happens." The poet left the building with a nod, and Hiccup closed the door behind him.

"You and me both..." he muttered.


	6. Confidence and a Kindred Soul

**Well hello there! Welcome to Chapter 6, we have singing, dancing, and a charming view of the sunset. The only problem is the author's rambling.**

**I'll be quiet now. (PS: Woo poem!)**

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_Behind the beasts large, endearing eyes,_

_Never would I have thought,_

_To find the one thing that eludes me,_

_The one thing that I sought._

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After a night of restless sleep, Hiccup awoke in his bed to the sun shining in through his window. Toothless was nowhere to be seen, probably downstairs. Hiccup sat up after a few minutes of worried thinking, and rubbed his eyes. He stumbled down the stairs and into the kitchen, blearily inspecting some leftover eggs his dad had made for him. Toothless was curled up around the table for some incomprehensible reason, so Hiccup ate while standing up.

When he was finished, Hiccup made his way out into the village to find his dad. Stoick would most likely be down at the docks organising today's fishing trip. Hiccup quickly jogged down the short hill that took him to the dock. There were many Vikings out and about, and the large buildings that dragons slept in were now half empty because many riders were out for a fly before their duties.

Stoick was right where Hiccup had expected, directing crates and nets being loaded onto some ships. Hiccup wandered up to him.

"Hey dad. I need to talk to you about something I'm planning." Stoick turned to Hiccup before replying.

"As horrified as I'm sure that sentence should make me, I am rather busy at the moment, son."

"But this concerns Astrid and her father. I think I can resolve the conflict."

"That's great Hiccup, but can it wait until the ships have set off? I really need to make sure everybody is doing what they should be doing." Stoick said distractedly.

"That's called supervising, dad. But yeah, I suppose I can come see you later." Hiccup walked away.

"Super-what?" called Stoick over his shoulder.

* * *

Hiccup was of the mind to find Selwyn and have a chat with the poet, but he had no idea where to begin. The poet had chosen to sleep and live out in the forest to soak up the creative juices that he thought flowed through the island.

Eventually, Hiccup decided to head for the canyon, as Selwyn seemed to be there more often than not. The familiar trip through the forest kept Hiccup's nerves calm about his plan. He entered the rock corridor blocked by his shield, and didn't even bother to tell himself to remove it. It was pretty much part of the landscape now.

Selwyn was nowhere in sight, but Hiccup had a feeling he was there.

"Selwyn! Hey, Selwyn! I want to talk to you!" Hiccup shouted, his voice echoing through the canyon.

The poet emerged from behind a tree, packing away notebooks.

"Oh, hello Hiccup. I was just putting this beauty to paper." He announced cheerfully. "What did you want to talk about?"

Hiccup suddenly felt very stupid.

"I don't really know. I just felt like talking to you for some reason." He replied awkwardly.

Selwyn laughed.

"Look at you! A couple of days without your girl and you go crazy!"

"I'm not going crazy, I'm just...I don't know..."

"Lonely? Because you _do_ have those Viking chums of yours to talk to."

"It's not like with Astrid." Hiccup said, digging himself in deeper.

"And it is with me? I find that a little disturbing." Selwyn joked. Hiccup gave an exasperated sigh.

"I just mean I wanted to talk to someone, and you are a sort of...neutral ground."

"I'm quite partial to you as well." Selwyn grinned. "The things you have seen and done, they could be the foundation for the greatest ballad I have ever written!"

"How many ballads _have_ you written?" Hiccup asked curiously.

"Well...none. I mainly write normal poems." Selwyn admitted.

"I've never told anyone this," Hiccup said, looking around to make sure they were alone, "But I sometimes write poems."

Selwyn's eyes lit up.

"You do? Why didn't you tell me earlier! Oh, to find a kindred soul in the most unlikely of places!" the poet exclaimed dramatically. "You have to show me your work!"

"No I don't really think that's a good-"

"We can compare our styles and work together on that ballad! It will be the greatest tale ever to travel the lands, winning the hearts of nations and-"

"Selwyn!" Hiccup said loudly, interrupting the excited poet.

"Oh. Sorry." Selwyn calmed down. "I can understand if you don't want to show me. I too can be a bit protective of my work."

"Thanks. Well, it was nice having this little chat, but I need to head back to the village and get the Master Plan ready." Hiccup turned to head back through the forest.

"Of course. I hope it all goes well. I will be watching tonight!" Selwyn said before bidding Hiccup goodbye.

* * *

It was around midday when Hiccup returned to the village, and he found his father in the main hall having lunch like most people. Approaching the table where Stoick sat, Hiccup cleared his throat.

"Hey dad, I want to talk to you about that thing I mentioned earlier."

Stoick put down the chicken he was about to take a bite out of.

"Oh yeah, that. What is it, son?" he asked.

"Well, I need all of the Vikings that ride Deadly Nadder's and Monstrous Nightmares to take up positions in a certain pattern tonight." Hiccup stated plainly.

"I suppose you realise how hard that will be to do and have already worked it out?"

"Now before you say anything, I did the calculations and- wait, what?"

Stoick laughed.

"You just show us the positions and tell us where to go, my boy. Everybody trusts your judgement."

Hiccup felt a surge of pride for his village, and he unconsciously stood up straighter.

"Well, that's great then. Can you have everyone but Astrid and her father gather here in about an hour? I want them to be able to concentrate, and it's pretty hard when you have a very full stomach, apparently." Hiccup said, with a bit of humour in his voice.

"Sure, son. It won't be hard to keep Astrid or her father away, Astrid hasn't been outside in days and her father only comes to get meals, and he just had one."

Hiccup felt odd. Everything was coming along nicely. This was a welcome, if unexpected change.

Maybe he could pull this off after all.


	7. Time to Shine

**I would like to begin with an obligatory apology for lack of chapters. I suddenly got very sick and was unable to write anything. I am still a bit off, so updates will be infrequent for a little while. **

**Anyway.**

**It's finally here! All that talk about the Master Plan and now it's finally here!**

**But how will it go? What exactly is Hiccup getting the village to do? I'm sure many of have an idea since I haven't really been hiding what was going to happen, but who knows! You might be surprised!**

**This chapter goes out to Christopher Scott for his numerous reviews that make me want to keep posting every day (even when I can't), and Travis Church, whose detailed reviews have been a massive help!**

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Nightfall. It was time. Quietly, the riders moved through the village, silently making their way to the buildings that housed Berk's dragon population. They had studied the plan and Hiccup had made certain every single rider knew what to do. They were as prepared as they were ever going to be.

One by one, they took to the skies, arranging themselves in unusual patterns, just like they were told. Not one Viking spoke, the only sound being the soft whisper of multiple wings flapping.

Hiccup was not with them, he was on the ground, walking up the gentle slope that led to Astrid's house. His heart was hammering inside his chest like it was trying to escape, but Hiccup stood as tall as he could, putting on a brave face.

A solitary figure watched from the distant tree line, barely noticeable in the dark. It waved at Hiccup, and with a _just_ audible chuckle, Hiccup identified it as Selwyn, come to wish him luck.

Returning the wave, trying to show the poet he wasn't scared, Hiccup marched up to Astrid's door and firmly knocked three times. Two thunderous steps later, the door crashed open and Astrid's father stood there, his eyes blazing.

"WHAT IN ODIN'S NAME DO YOU WANT?" he thundered. Hiccup made an effort not to swallow and maintain his posture.

"I've come to prove my love for Astrid." The dragon tamer replied evenly.

Astrid's father was taken aback for a moment.

"Y' what?" he said.

"I know you doubt my commitment to Astrid because I kept denying that we...uh...slept together, and, uh, regardless of whether we did or not, you don't think I'm a very good boyfriend, and, um" Hiccup realised he was rambling and quickly got to the point. "I devised a scheme that was so difficult to plan and execute you wouldn't be able to doubt my devotion to your daughter."

"Is that so?" asked Astrid's father, his curiosity piqued.

"Yes. Now it won't last for long, so you might want to stand out here where you can see the sky. Astrid will probably want to see this too." Hiccup said, and they moved out into a more open area, the father calling Astrid from her room. She walked out of the house a moment later with a huge grin on her face. Hiccup desperately wanted to go and hold her, but he had to fight the urge so the plan would work.

The father was scanning the skies, searching for Hiccup's 'plan'.

"So where is it then?" He asked gruffly. Hiccup took the moment to wave at Toothless, who had been perched on top of Astrid's house silently. The Night Fury let loose a fireball that streaked off into the distance, away from Berk. It exploded over the forest moments later, acting like a trigger.

The sky lit up in a blaze of fire, hundreds of fire beams criss-crossing the sky. The stars were dulled in comparison as the hundreds of dragons in the air gave it everything they had to keep the beams flowing. The lines of fire connected to each other in delicate formations and perfect patterns.

They formed letters that blazed in the night sky, letters that, in turn, formed a word that blazed in Hiccup's heart.

Astrid.

Upon seeing her name written amongst the stars, Astrid's jaw dropped. Her eyes were as wide as they could go, trying to capture every detail of the moment before it ended. The fire flickered on her face, making her seem to glow with energy.

Hiccup ignored the fire and the night, only having eyes for his girlfriend. After what felt like years since last being in her presence, Hiccup was overwhelmed by affection towards her, walking up to her and taking her hand in his. He even felt the urge to propose to Astrid, but as romantic and perfect that would be, he wanted a few more years of responsibility-free fun with her before he made _that_ master plan.

So Hiccup just held her hand and watched until the fires finally faltered and stopped, returning the night to its natural silky texture.

Astrid's father was dumbstruck. He kept staring out into the night in awe, as though he wasn't sure if he really saw what just happened. He didn't even notice when the lovebirds beside him began kissing quietly. After about five minutes, the big man turned towards the couple, and Hiccup inwardly wished himself luck.

The man spoke in a small voice, still struck by the moment.

"If you must."

After which he immediately returned to his house and went to bed.

Hiccup stared incredulously at Astrid, who gave him an ear to ear grin and a massive hug.

The Vikings in the air above them let out a triumphant roar, the dragons joining in too. Toothless leapt down from the roof and bounded around the couple as the dragon riders returned to the ground once more.

Astrid whispered into Hiccup's ear as they hugged.

"That was amazing. _You_ are amazing."

Hiccup just replied with a meek,

"I can't believe that worked!"

They remained together for a little while longer, until the sound of a large Viking crowd began approaching. Astrid seized Hiccup's arm.

"I don't feel like being bothered, mind accompanying me for a walk?" she said in a meaningful tone.

"Are you sure? We had celebration party planned as well-" Hiccup began.

"_Hiccup._ I think we should go for a _walk._ In the _forest_. _Alone._" Astrid poked his chest to emphasise certain words.

It dawned on Hiccup.

"You mean you want to-"

"Yes."

"In the fores-"

"Yep."

"Because of what I di-"

"Yeah."

Hiccup thought a moment.

"I really have no objections." He said with a grin that she returned.

"I didn't think you would." Astrid laughed as they ran into the forest, leaving the crowd of Vikings to find nothing but tracks in the dirt.

"Should...should we go after them?" asked Fishlegs.

"I don't think the lass would appreciate that, m'boy. Let's have the celebration without them." Answered Gobber, leading the party back into Berk with high spirits that the conflict had been resolved at last.


	8. Elation

**Hello again! Fancy seeing you here! How are you? That's great.**

**Now, enough with the pleasantries. I would like to inform everyone that I am feeling slightly better. That's right. Stop the freakin' presses.**

**Also, to the people reading this who never review, please review! You have no idea how awesome a review makes the author feel.**

**I'll be quiet now.**

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Hiccup had thought _flying_ was the greatest feeling in the world. He was proven wrong repeatedly by Astrid, and couldn't be happier about it. It was like a whole new dimension had been opened up. His brain was a tornado of incomprehensible thoughts and emotions in the wake of this new experience.

Hiccup stumbled into Berk about noon the day after his master plan was put into action. Astrid had remained in the canyon for now, relaxing in the sun. Hiccup had decided he should return to town to congratulate everyone on a job well done.

His hearing was a bit fuzzy and his vision blurred, but he walked with a spring in his step (besides the actual spring in his artificial leg). People came out of their indistinct dwellings and Hiccup received many pats on the back and words of well wishing.

Eventually, Hiccup made it to where the other teenagers were hanging out, a small courtyard behind a house near the docks. The eyes were on him the second he stepped into the area, and he was bombarded with questions.

"Did you and Astrid actually do it?" Snotlout blurted out before anyone else.

"Yeah did you? Don't lie to us!" Tuffnut added in.

Hiccup replied in a slightly higher pitched voice than normal.

"Yes."

Clearing his throat, Hiccup continued speaking normally.

"I mean, if by asking if we did it you are asking whether we had sex, then yes." Hiccup's face reddened faintly, but he stood tall, unashamed.

"Wooaah..." Said the boys together. Ruffnut snorted.

"I'll wait till I hear the real version from Astrid." She said, vacating the area and leaving the boys to their childish gossip.

"So what was it like?" asked Fishlegs curiously, the other two boys looking expectantly at Hiccup.

"It was...uh... great." Hiccup replied, not really sure what to say.

"That's it? Great?" Snotlout exclaimed.

"Give us more than that!" Tuffnut said loudly.

"I'm not really sure what you guys want to hear! It was great! Probably the greatest moment in my life!" Hiccup shouted. "I don't need you guys pestering me, you're going to ruin this good mood I have going. I'll see you later."

Hiccup quickly left before they could respond, walking out into the village. After wandering around for a little while, receiving more congratulations as he did, Hiccup found himself entering his house and greeting his father.

"I can't begin to tell y' how proud I am of you son. Such a display, just for Astrid, well, it's the most romantic thing this village has ever seen. My boy will be known as a master romancer, maybe not as fearsome as dragon tamer, but considering Viking women, it might actually be more impressive." Stoick said with pride evident in his tone.

"Thanks dad. I couldn't have done it without the whole village though." Hiccup replied modestly.

"You're lucky you pulled it off, because if something went wrong they would have thrown you off a cliff!" Stoick laughed loudly.

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**I know that was reeeeeeeeaaaalllllyyy short, but it's just a small one that I wrote while I'm getting better. Sure, the updates were small to begin with, but just stick with me here. This is sort of a small 'aftermath' chapter so that I get it out of the way and can continue with the story. Reviews always welcome!**


	9. A Peace Easily Shattered

**Alright, here we are again. I'm going to try and make this a longer chapter, at least over a thousand words. Sure, that's not very long at all, but compared to my last couple of chapters it will be a vast improvement. **

**This chapter contains an emotional scene that might seem sudden and unprovoked. I promise you it is anything but. So, sit back and enjoy the chapter! Reviews, like always, are very welcome.**

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The air was warm and thick. It wasn't often that the village of Berk experienced a hot night, so many of the Vikings were shirking their duties to find a comfortable place to relax and enjoy. Hiccup was sitting at the edge of the little lake in the canyon, completely alone in the darkness. He was enjoying the tranquillity and the warm, comfortable air. The water was warm as well, and it felt nice after so many months of cold.

The only light was from the moon and the stars, and Hiccup liked it that way. He felt so calm and happy; at peace with the world. There was a very slight breeze, keeping the gentle sway of the trees and lapping of the water constant. He quietly whispered,

"_From such chaos that reigned,_

_The night's peace was relief,_

_Difference with inspiration,_

_That which the day had lacked."_

He sat in silent contemplation for a moment, and then quickly looked around to make sure nobody heard him. The only poems that his village enjoyed were simple and rhyming, like children's chants. He would never hear the end of it if they heard him spouting something other than an easy song or dirty limerick. But at least Hiccup wasn't inspired often enough for it to become an issue. Most of the half-thought up poems created when he was experiencing the joy of flight were forgotten long before he had a chance to write them down.

"That was good!" said an increasingly familiar voice.

Hiccup sighed.

"You are far too good at sneaking up on me to be a poet. More like a thief." He said without turning around.

Selwyn sat down beside Hiccup, chuckling slightly.

"If only. I would probably be a lot wealthier had I chosen a life of crime over creativity. I can't even remember a time when I have been paid for my poems." Selwyn said.

"What are you doing stalking me on such a lovely night?" Hiccup replied in a bored tone.

"I was just taking a stroll through this pleasant forest when I happened to hear your poetry in action. It was very good, by the way. I assume it's talking about how this warm and comfortable night is a fitting epilogue to your confrontation with Astrid's father?"

"Something like that." Hiccup muttered.

"Well I think your poetry could rival my own! I think we would have much to gain by combining our poetic talent, what do you think?"

"I think there's something you're not telling me." Hiccup said sharply with an unusually accusing glare.

Selwyn seemed momentarily lost for words. A rare occurrence indeed.

"Huh?" He finally managed to spit out.

Hiccup stood, so did Selwyn, and they faced each other a few steps apart.

"I haven't seen you in the village since you arrived on your dilapidated ship. I only ever talk to you when I'm alone." Hiccup continued in a tone fitting for his expression.

"That's not true! I talked to you when you were with your dragon a few days ago!" Selwyn said defensively.

Hiccup conceded that point.

"Well you're still acting weird." The dragon tamer mumbled with a little less force than before.

"And don't forget that you saw me on my way to the main hall for some food a couple of days ago. I forget, is the main hall in the village or not?" Selwyn continued with a touch of sarcasm and a surprising amount of anger.

"Well, ok, but-"

"What is your problem Hiccup? Don't you like talking to me? I can leave you alone if you want." Selwyn said loudly and angrily, something that Hiccup was shocked to see.

"No, I'm sorry. I just- I don't know what came over me, I- I don't know." Hiccup said, trying to reconcile with his fellow poet.

"I'm not sure whether I even want to talk to you anymore! I finally find someone who has the same mind as me, a kindred spirit, and you give me mistrust and irritation from the moment we met. Is there something about me that bothers you so much, Hiccup? You might as well just spit it out, just let me have it. Tell me! Go on, just say it!" Selwyn yelled, fury backing every word.

Hiccup spluttered, deeply hurt by what was happening, he was so very much in the wrong here, why couldn't he do anything right? Why was he so bad at making and keeping friends? Selwyn was right about everything, the poet _had_ shown nothing but kindness and friendliness since the moment they met. Hiccup felt like he was on the verge of tears and he didn't know why. This was so confusing. Why would Hiccup be so cruel to someone just like him? Almost just like him. Selwyn was much more confident in himself and his abilities. He strode with the self assurance Hiccup would never have. He was eager to share his poems, not afraid of criticism; not bothered by the trappings of society. He chose to live out in the forest instead of in the village, for Odin's sake! That was an impressive feat considering he was a newcomer to the freezing island. Selwyn was better than him in almost every way. Hiccup treated the new person with distrust and annoyance and received nothing but goodwill in return. Hiccup felt lower than the lowest ranked deck scrubber on one of his father's ships. He had figured out what bothered him about Selwyn, and it made his eyes burn with tears.

"You're a better version of me." Hiccup the dragon tamer whispered, voice cracking.

There was no response from Selwyn, and Hiccup fell to his hands and knees, tears blurring his vision and splashing into the water of the lake, sending tiny ripples outward. He jammed his eyes shut and let the tears flow, sobs wracking his chest as he heard Selwyn's footsteps retreat from the area. Hiccup felt like his chest would never loosen, it remained constricted at every heartbeat hurt him while the tears continued to drop. He remained this way for a long time, crying his heart out beside the lake he loved. But eventually, as they always do, the tears dried up and Hiccup lay on the ground, curled up and quietly sniffing. His voice, broken and quiet, croaked out a single question.

"What's wrong with me?"

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**_WOW!_**

**Where did _that_ come from? I guess we will have to wait and see! ;)**


	10. We Need More Detective Vikings

**Here we are again. Welcome! Please, sit down. We're about to leave for Berk once more, to see what our Viking friends are up to. In this instalment, we see the world around Hiccup slowly unravel as he tries to find out what is happening. Enjoy, and remember that reviews are always welcome!**

**P.S. There's a **_**huge**_** plot important thing hidden in this chapter, but it's for a later sequel. ;)**

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It had been three days since Hiccup had spoken to Selwyn. Hiccup hadn't seen him since, and was getting worried. He desperately wanted to apologise and make things right, but how could he do that if the poet had vanished?

Hiccup was sitting in the old dragon training ring, surrounded by a pack of Terrible Terrors. He watched with slight amusement as they played and fought among themselves, envying their carefree lives. Their only responsibility was to not destroy too many things when they were inside a house. Of course, there had yet to be a time when a Terrible Terror had been inside a home and not broken something. It was generally accepted that having one in your house meant you held little regard for any valuables in your possession. Either that, or you had an immense hatred for flammable objects.

Footsteps approached, crunching on the gravel, and Hiccup looked around at the entrance to see who it was. A short man with a broad chest eyed the place with interest, before noticing Hiccup. He hobbled over to the young boy, long, dishevelled grey hair hanging by his shoulders. He had a slightly crazy look in his eye as he grinned at Hiccup. Hiccup smiled back, trying to be friendly but inwardly wondering about the man's sanity.

"So yer the dragon tamer ah bin hearin' 'bout?" He drawled in a strange accent. His breath almost made Hiccup gag, but he managed to keep a straight face when he replied.

"Yeah, that's me. Have we met before?"

The man shook his head as he eyed Hiccup, still grinning and exposing rotten teeth.

"Naa we 'aven't, boy. Ah got 'ere kite a few days ago an' ah bin wantin' tah meet ya' ever since."

Hiccup frowned. He'd been in Berk for more than a day and Hiccup hadn't heard of him? Hiccup was the chief's son, nothing happened in the village without Stoick knowing (and, as part of his training to be chief, sharing with Hiccup.).

"Really? How come we hadn't met until now?" Hiccup asked.

"Well, you wer' off out in the jungle an' such doin' whatever the heck you do fer most of my stay."

"Well, that's true. Sorry it took so long to meet you; it's not very courteous of me."

The man wheezed a cackling laugh.

"You sure ain't what ah were picturing in mah head, lemme tell ya."

"Yeah, I get that a lot when visitors meet me. Let me guess, you were expecting a tall, muscle-bound warrior that tamed the dragons with his axe?" Hiccup said sarcastically.

The man thought for a moment before he replied.

"Yeah, thas' pretty much what I was thinkin'." For some reason, Hiccup didn't think that was the truth. Why would he lie about such an odd thing? He decided to just ignore it, it was probably nothing.

"Well it's been nice meeting you Mr..."

"Iggletort. Jarven Iggletort." The man said after a moment.

"That's an odd name."

"Thanks, Hiccup."

They both shared a grin at that, and Hiccup stood up to shake his hand.

"Well it was nice meeting you Jarven Iggletort, but I better get back to the village." Hiccup said.

"Same ta' you, Hiccup Haddock. Say, would anyone mind if I took a peek at the old dragon holding cells?"

Hiccup shrugged.

"Sure, if you want. There's nothing back there now, but you can have a look."

"Much a'reciated."

Hiccup walked out of the training grounds and back to Berk. It was time to return to that reality that he loved oh so much.

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The forge was relatively quiet this time of day, most people get there early to avoid the crowds, which, ironically, _caused_ the crowds. The smell of melting steel and smoke was comforting to Hiccup as he walked into the main room. Gobber was pressing the bellows, bringing the flames to an extreme degree.

"Hey Gobber, I wanted to ask you something." Hiccup shouted over the puffing of the bellows.

"What would ya like ta know?" Gobber replied, giving the pumping a rest and stretching his arms.

"Do you know a man called Jarven Iggletort? That arrived here a little while ago?"

Gobber scratched his chin.

"Yeah, ah think ah do. Short man, heavyset. Looks hard to budge."

"How did he come to be on Berk?"

"He sailed in on that rust bucket you see out in the docks."

Hiccups heart began to beat quicker. That rust bucket was Selwyn's ship.

"Was anyone with him? Did anyone else dock here that I haven't known about?"

"If there were more people on his ship, they didn't show 'emselves and Jarven didn't tell us. As for any other ship's docking, only our own fishing ships have returned."

"Did Jarven say where he was from?" Hiccup asked quickly.

"He said he was a fisherman from one of the other tribes that got lost in a storm for many years. By the state of 'is ship I doubt he's lyin'. Why are you askin' so many questions, Hiccup?"

"I'm just curious is all." Hiccup said, the lie written plainly on his face.

Gobber shook his head.

"Well, whatever you're doing, try not to destroy too much property." The blacksmith muttered.

"Just one more question – What time was it when everyone greeted Jarven for the first time?"

Gobber rubbed his mouth, thinking.

"Must've been about midday. Why?"

Hiccup breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well, it proves I'm not crazy. Thanks Gobber!" hiccup bolted out of the store, heading for the canyon.

Gobber watched, one eyebrow raised as the teenaged ran as fast as he could on his prosthetic to the tree line.

"If you say so..." He muttered doubtingly.

Well that settled it then. Selwyn had stowed away on Jarven's ship and emerged at midnight when fewer people were around. Hiccup had been returning from Astrid's house and just so happened to take a detour near the docks to meet the poet.

But...

If Jarven was telling the truth to everyone, he had been lost at sea for months. How could Selwyn have possibly stowed away for so long? The ship wasn't _that_ big.

Hiccup sat on his favourite rock and pondered these things. It was the same rock he had sat on while sketching Toothless in the dirt back in those terrible, bittersweet days.

Why would Selwyn stow away? Wasn't he a famous poet? Shouldn't he have his own ship, and of much better quality? Why had it taken so long to meet Jarven?

At least the stowaway theory explained why Selwyn chose to camp out in the forest instead of in someone's guest room.

But Hiccup had seen and spoken to Selwyn in Berk once, hadn't he? Selwyn said he was on his way to the main hall to get some dinner, or lunch, or whatever. Unless...Selwyn _didn't_ go to the main hall when he passed Hiccup.

So many questions! And he had scared off the one person who had answers.

"I'm not very good at solving mysteries, am I?" Hiccup said to himself glumly.

He half expected Selwyn to reply from somewhere nearby, but nobody spoke.

He slumped forwards and put his head in his hands. He had no idea what to do next.

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**A/N**

**Well that one was interesting! A little plot EXPOSITION! Which, coincidentally, is my favourite kind of exposition. Did you like this chapter? Hate it? Want to point out any glaring mistakes I might have missed? Drop me a review then! Until next time, sayonara! **


	11. Revelation Part 1

**Welcome back! Been a while, hasn't it? Sorry about that. I had a little writers block for a few days, mainly due to an increasing amount of homework. **

**Now, I know this is a short chapter, and I intended it to be much longer. But it had been so long I felt like I needed to get something out there, even if it's only half a chapter. So I split this one in two (and by accident made a fairly large cliffhanger) so that it would be easier to manage. Smaller chapters are friendlier and easier to manage, but make me feel like I cheated you guys :P**

**On the other hand, sometimes I will write a chapter and discover that what I wanted to say had been covered and I don't feel the need to continue writing.**

**If that makes sense.**

**I think.**

**Anyway, enjoy this mini-half chapter!**

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"What's wrong, Hiccup?" asked Astrid.

The couple were sitting in the old dragon training ring, as the last rays of sun slid down the horizon and left them in shadows. Hiccup had returned to the ring after he left the canyon earlier. He was of the mind to ask Jarven some questions, but the old man had left the ring before Hiccup could get back.

Hiccup was much too tired to bother pursuing the old man, and the sun was setting, so he decided to just sit against the wall for a while and think. Astrid hadn't taken long to show up, since Hiccup hadn't seen her at all today, which was becoming a bad habit.

"I can't help you if you won't tell me what's wrong, Hiccup." Astrid continued. Hiccup didn't reply, the idea of explaining everything was exhausting him just thinking about it.

"Is it...about what we did a few days ago?" Astrid asked awkwardly, the first time Hiccup had ever heard her say something in an awkward fashion. He perked up to reassure her.

"No! No, no, no, no, definitely not! It's about something different altogether." Hiccup quickly replied.

"Well, what is it about? You're not usually this secretive with me." Astrid persisted.

"Yeah, I know, it's just...it's a long story and I just don't have the energy to explain it right now." Well, it was the truth.

"Ok then..." Astrid answered sounding a bit hurt. Hiccup sighed.

"I'm sorry; I don't mean to sound like a jerk. I promise I'll explain everything when I get my energy back."

Astrid moved closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder, Hiccup resting his head on hers. They sat in silent comfort for a few minutes, enjoying a moment they had had far too few of recently. Astrid was the one who finally broke the silence.

"I can think of one way to get your energy back."

Purposeful striding, that was what he needed. Hiccup had a determined glint in his eyes, once again reenergised and ready to find Selwyn and solve the problem once and for all. The townsfolk got out of his way for once, and he didn't even notice, so determined was he.

The poet had eluded him for the past few days, but no more. Hiccup strode out of Berk and through the forest, taking the memorised path through the trees to the familiar sight of his canyon.

Hiccup somehow knew in his heart that Selwyn would be there waiting, and he was right. The poet sat on Hiccup's rock with perfect posture and calmly waited for Hiccup to approach. The dragon tamer did so, slightly cautiously at the oddness of Selwyn's stature.

"Hello Hiccup." Selwyn spoke first as soon as hiccup was close enough. His voice was steady, calm, almost monotone.

Hiccup stopped still a few feet away.

"Hi Selwyn." Hiccup took a deep breath. "Look, I wanted to apologi-"

"How well do you know me, Hiccup?" Selwyn cut him off sharply. Hiccup wasn't sure how to answer.

"Uh, not very well I suppose?" He said, trying to say what Selwyn wanted to hear.

"We've spent a lot of time together over the past few weeks, Hiccup. I would think we know each other fairly well by now." Selwyn continued in that same, emotionless voice.

"Oh well yeah, I think so too-" Hiccup tried to recover before being cut off again.

"So, Hiccup, since we know each other quite well by now, could you answer a question for me?"

Hiccup swallowed, feeling nervous. Why was Selwyn behaving so strangely? Had something happened Hiccup hadn't been aware of?

"Uh, yeah, sure."

Selwyn turned to look at Hiccup, and Hiccup felt his mouth grow dry.

"Hiccup, what do I look like?"

Of all questions, of everything Selwyn could have said, this was it? What does he look like? Was this a game or something? A joke? Had Hiccup annoyed Selwyn to the point where the poet was trying to mess with Hiccup's head?

"Wha-what do you mean?" Hiccup asked hesitantly, his stomach churning with anxiety.

"It's a simple question Hiccup. What do I look like?" Selwyn stood up and walked over to Hiccup, Hiccup taking a step back.

His heart hammering in his chest, Hiccup wasn't sure how he was supposed to answer.

"D-do you mean what kind of person do I think you a-are?" Hiccup said, fumbling over his words.

"Physically. Describe me." Selwyn didn't seem annoyed, and he still spoke with that slightly scary passive tone.

"Well...y-you look...uh...you...um..." Hiccup stammered out, not sure why he wasn't just describing Selwyn. The poet was right in front of him, why didn't he just say the colour of his hair, or his height or clothes?

Hiccup looked closer at Selwyn. For some reason, his brain just wasn't registering what he was seeing. It was blurry, distorted. Hiccup rubbed his eyes and looked around, but the effect remained in place, on Selwyn.

"What...what is this..." Hiccup whispered. His mind worked furiously trying to find a way to rationalise what his eyes were viewing.

"Now you see." Selwyn stepped closer, features still blurred and twisted. Hiccup tried to step back, but stumbled and tripped, landing on his rear as Selwyn stood over him.

"Hiccup, you can see me. Just look a little deeper." Selwyn's voice maintained the dispassionate, neutral complexion.

Hiccup felt tears well up in his eyes, staring unblinkingly at Selwyn was straining them.

"I don't...what is...I can't..." Hiccup whispered, his voice cracking.

"Come on, Hiccup, you are very perceptive. Just see past the distortions your mind has hid me behind all these weeks to preserve your sanity and look at me, truly see me for who I am."

Selwyn advanced, and Hiccup scrambled backwards, still staring unblinkingly at Selwyn, his eyes now reddening from the irritation of keeping them open.

I sliver of the strange fog that masked Selwyn dissipated, and Hiccup saw a hand, a familiar hand, a hand he had seen many times before. The rest of the cloak slid away, Hiccups brain allowing Hiccup to view the reality and not the fantasy.

The person standing behind it was someone Hiccup had never expected to meet.


	12. Revelation Part 2

**Part two of Revelation! We find out just what the heck is going on with Selwyn!**

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Hiccup stood and watched the revealed form of 'Selwyn'. He couldn't believe his eyes. How had he not noticed the fog, or the blurriness when he looked at Selwyn all those weeks? Was Hiccup insane? Was Selwyn a ghost?

Hiccup could only stare from his position on the ground next to the figure as it finally became clear.

It was Hiccup. The dragon tamer saw himself behind the distortions his minds had manufactured. The other Hiccup looked exactly the same, except his leg was still whole. The other Hiccup, or 'Selwyn', stood there silently and watched him.

"What are you?"The Hiccup on the ground yelled, scrambling to his feet away from the Selwyn-Hiccup.

"Obviously I'm you." The other Hiccup replied sarcastically, but more frighteningly in Hiccups voice.

Hiccup was breathing fast, his heart thundering in his chest.

"Can you just tell me what is going on so I can have a little reassurance that I am not insane?" He croaked out.

"You aren't insane, Hiccup. But I _am_ a figment of your imagination. Sort of. You see, the mind is a strange thing. Your mind is stranger than most. But that's not a bad thing. You are extremely intelligent, much more so than you or anyone else gives you credit for. Your subconscious worked in your favour, seeking to reach its greatest potential by tricking you into seeing what wasn't there."

"That doesn't make sense..." Hiccup whispered, his mind struggling to comprehend what was being said.

"Trust me, it does, even if it doesn't seem like it does right now. Your very mind tried to engineer its own advancement by creating hallucinations." The second Hiccup continued in a friendly but informative manner that unnerved Hiccup.

"But I saw him – you – in the village, and Toothless was with me one time!" Hiccup valiantly refused to accept the other Hiccup's concept.

"Wasn't Toothless acting a little strange towards you throughout that 'conversation'? And who was around when you spoke to Selwyn in the village? Don't try to find a way around this, seeing through the deception is the only way to keep the positives of this experience while maintaining your sanity."

The real Hiccup took a deep breath.

"If what you're saying is true, then what have I gained from it? How has this brought me to my 'greatest potential'?"

"It's planted the seed, whether you realise it or not. You began to question Selwyn's existence a few days ago, which was the cue that our goal had been accomplished."

"The more I talk...the clearer this is becoming...in my mind, I mean."

"The pieces are fitting together. A word of warning, you might realise just how brilliant you are over the next few days and will want to tell everybody what has happened. They _will_ think you are insane, no matter how you explain it." The second Hiccup added with a smirk.

"Right. So...are you just going to disappear now that it's all sorted out?"

"No, there's still one more thing. Remember how you broke down the other day and told Selwyn he was a better version of you?"

Hiccup's eyes widened.

"Oohhhhh. Oh that is clever. _I_ am clever." Hiccup said, a large grin forming on his face as he realised the implications.

"Told you. I think you're ready now. Remember, don't tell anyone about this or they will think you have lost it."

"So are you going to fade aw-" Hiccup stopped mid sentence as the other Hiccup vanished silently and suddenly.

"I guess that answers that..." Hiccup chuckled to himself before looking around. It suddenly felt very isolated in the canyon. The breeze that was once so comforting seemed icy; the sun was blocked by clouds.

"Maybe it's time I head back..." Hiccup muttered, looking around, feeling a little scared to be on his own. The first time he had ever felt that way in this place. It was the place where his friendship with Toothless had been formed, it should be warm and welcoming no matter the weather or his emotions. Something had changed, and the warmth had been stripped from it like the wool from a sheep. All that was left behind was coldness and ice.

Hiccup couldn't help but feel as he was walking back through the forest that he would never be returning to that canyon. It was a strange feeling, now that the emotions he had associated with it were gone, what was there for him in that place but memories?

And, sure, memories were important, but what kept you going was the future, and how you can use the present to make your future brighter.

As he weaved through the familiar trees, Hiccup's mind wandered. Selwyn was a great poet, and he had taken inspiration straight from Hiccup's mind. Why couldn't Hiccup do the same?

The ability to create your own inspiration is the thing that sets the greatest above the great, Hiccup thought.

And if Selwyn could do it, then Hiccup could too.


	13. Epilogue

**Here we are, the end of this particular road. It has only been a short journey, but an eventful one.**

**There's not much else I can say, except I hope you liked reading this as much as I liked writing it, and expect to see new HTTYD stories from me very soon.**

**For now, enjoy this epilogue.**

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The seed grew, slowly but surely, making unmistakable changes that would have remained dormant without intervention.

It had been three weeks since Selwyn's revelation, and the old saying out of sight, out of mind was holding true in this instance. Selwyn rarely crossed Hiccups mind these days, all but forgotten despite his dramatic appearance. That was how Hiccup's mind dealt with it, the way it had always intended, to take what was learned and forget the irrelevant.

But that seed, the part that mattered, stuck in Hiccup's mind, and over those few weeks, he began to change ever so slightly. His eyes held a ponderous wisdom they hadn't possessed before, one that made villagers respect and admire him. His words were tinted with meaning, no matter how dull the context.

But most of all, perhaps most importantly of all, was the growing stack of papers under Hiccup's bed. Poems, thousands of them, stacked neatly in his room. They were his diary, his study of the human condition and the world it is applied to. The inspiration was never ending, and he wrote them down wherever he could so he wouldn't forget them.

Astrid, now spending a fairly large amount of time in Hiccup's room, discovered them and found herself secretly amazed that the boy who was so different manages to add another layer to the wall between him and the other Vikings, albeit in a beautiful way.

She stayed quiet, afraid of accidentally discouraging him, and awaited the next batch of poems each day. Considering there were a fair few about her, she found it a constant source of wonder.

Hiccup had always been creatively gifted, more commonly used for his sketches and plans, but it was like that part of his brain had been kicked into full speed, for Hiccup could see nothing but inspiration everywhere he looked. When others saw an empty expanse of dirt, Hiccup saw land waiting for someone to sculpt it into their hearts desires.

Occasionally a fellow Viking other than Astrid would find a loose poem somewhere in the village, and wonder who had the talent to put words to paper in such a fashion.

Word soon got out, and the village was full of admirers of this mysterious poet that made their daily world seem bright and colourful, waiting to be explored. It was like there was a ghostly poet running around dropping notes for the villagers to find.

But nobody took credit for them, and the poet remained in mystery. Hiccup figured he was different enough so he didn't need to add to it. Astrid didn't tell anyone either, following Hiccups lead.

The gossip died down and the poems were treated with happy smiles instead of crowds of interested admirers trying to figure out the author's identity.

Hiccup woke with a smile each morning these days; he was quite satisfied with his life. Astrid decided one morning that he needed a wakeup call, and not the kind involving buckets of water.

She knocked firmly on the door three times. She was a girl on a mission, and if the door didn't open then she would tear it down.

Luckily for the door, it creaked open, revealing a dishevelled Hiccup who looked like he just got out of bed (which was probably the case).

Astrid couldn't help but enjoy the way his eyes lit up as soon as he saw her, and the grin that formed on his face. A grin that faltered at the look she was giving him.

"Uh...not the face?" He tried for humour, but she didn't give way, as much as she wanted to just hug him and pretend she was just joking.

Astrid held up her left hand and Hiccup flinched, anticipating an attack. But when none came, he relaxed ever so slightly.

"You have nice hands..." He said quietly, in that poet-voice he sometimes did when he had an idea.

"Can you hang on for just a- I'll be right back!" Hiccup turned to run upstairs and no doubt write another poem.

Astrid caught him before he took a step and turned him around to face her again. Hiccup tried smiling again, clearly very confused.

"Or not. I can just stay here. Yeah I'll just stay here." He rambled again. Astrid raised her hand again.

"What's wrong with this hand, Hiccup?" She demanded.

"Absolutely nothing, it's the most perfect hand I have ever seen, now could I just quickly write something dow-"

"Wrong. Try again." Astrid said, remaining firm.

"Um..." Hiccup looked at the hand, looking for a scar or burn she might have obtained recently. But her skin was unblemished and smooth, which left Hiccup without a clue like always.

"Is it hurting? I could try to see if there was anything dislocated?" Hiccup suggested.

"It's not hurting, Hiccup. Try again." Astrid watched in amusement as Hiccup studied her hand very closely, feeling and staring at every inch of it. She waited for the exact moment when the idea hit him, and wasn't disappointed. He stopped still, frozen stiff.

"Any ideas, Hiccup?" she asked, her voice tinged with humour.

Hiccup remained holding her hand, but stood up from inspecting it.

"I...ah...have one idea..." He croaked. His throat was dry. Oh yeah, he knew what Astrid was talking about now.

"Care to let me know?" Astrid prompted.

Hiccup took a deep breath before answering.

"The only thing wrong with this perfect hand... is the absence of a ring." He said quietly, in a tone he reserved for their more private chats.

There weren't any more words either of them could say; they both knew the other would say yes, the question was irrelevant. The couple just moved forward together and embraced.

For once, Hiccup couldn't think of anything profound enough to say, and that surely to try and describe this moment would strip away the meaning. So he remained silent in their union, for no amount of mastery over language and the poetic arts could compare to experiencing the thrill of emotion first hand.

It was this final lesson that brought Hiccup to his full potential. He was everything he could be, greater than his mind had predicted, greater than Selwyn. The only thing left to do was bring others up with him. The lesson had been learned, the plan was a success, brilliance had triumphed over ignorance, and happiness prevailed.

Truly, it was the best of days.


End file.
